paperback original

Paperback original or PBO is a book originally published in paperback form, as opposed to being a reprint of a book initially published in hardcover. Although paperbacks existed for decades by then, it was only in the late 1940s and early 1950s that paperback publishers, specializing until then in reprints of hardcover originals, began to consider PBOs as an economically viable alternative to the classic system. What triggered this was allegedly the wild success of Mickey Spillane's 1947 novel I, the Jury, a commercial flop in hardcover that sold over two million copies in paperback. Soon after their inception PBOs replaced pulp magazines as America's chief source of trashy and disposable escapism.

The first to jump on the bandwagon were Fawcett Books, launching their now-legendary Gold Medal imprint, which specialized in publishing novels by both already established, even popular, authors, as well as young and unpublished writers. The opportunity this offered to up and coming writers was tremendous, as each novel brought in a considerable advance, more lucrative royalties than traditional publishing deals, and a first printing of 200,000 copies. Other major players were Lion Books, Dell, Graphic and Ace Books. The books sold for 25c, while the so-called Ace Doubles, larger books that included both a PBO and a reprint, went for 35c.

As the 1950s drew to a close, PBOs became increasingly unpopular, victims of rapidly changing tastes, as well as cheap and accessible entertainment offered by television. By the early 1960s they were beginning to be phased out and were soon almost completely gone. Some writers are still being published in paperback (American Psycho, Jason Starr and other Vintage Books-published authors come to mind), but PBOs never regained their past glory.